Earn your turkey: Stay fit in Boulder for Thanksgiving

Eating and exercise tips from Boulder locals

This Thanksgiving Day, stay on track with your fitness and exercise goals by eating smart and working out on the holiday.
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Marlene Borneman
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T he average person consumes between 3,000 and 5,000 calories on Thanksgiving Day, which is definitely "more than anyone needs in a day," said Lindsay Lawes, a registered dietician and personal trainer for Boulder Nutrition and Exercise.

To avoid overeating, Lawes recommended these tools for staying on track on Turkey Day:

- Choose pumpkin pie over apple or pecan. If you can't live without other types of pie, eat less of the crust.

- Wake up a half an hour early to get in a quick walk or jog before heading to the festivities.

- Scope out the choices before sitting down to eat. Then, only eat what you really want.

- If you're concerned about offending the chef (who might be a relative), take one bite of what they are eager for you to try. Then explain you're full.

- Avoid excess alcohol.

- Cook with low-fat milk, sour cream and cheese.

- Substitute unsweetened applesauce for oil or butter in recipes.

- Give yourself half an hour before going back for seconds.

In order to offset those calories, we've compiled a list of classes, fun runs and other activities to help keep you fit.

Mountain's Edge 'Turkey Earner' and 'Turkey Burner' classes

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Mountain's Edge, 693 S. Broadway (303-494-5000), is hosting two Thanksgiving-themed classes on Thursday. The "Turkey Burner" class will be taught by four instructors and runs from 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. The class includes conditioning, dance, intervals, pilates and yoga.

The 5K trot starts at the University of Colorado-Boulder's research park at 10:00 a.m. Thanksgiving Day. Bring a canned food item or donation for the Boulder County Food Share Program, and exercise your feel-good muscles, too.

The race costs $15 in advance and $20 on race day. Boulder Road Runners President John Bridges says he expects more than 1,000 runners.

The first-ever Cranksgiving race is taking place this Sunday to help you get a jump-start on earning your turkey.

Jim Savage, of Boulder Cycle Sport, 4580 N. Broadway St. (303-444-2453),asks riders of any skill level to bring $20 on race day, where they are given a map of designated grocery stores and a shopping list. The $20 goes toward buying the items listed for each store, and there is no registration fee. Riders can choose their own course, so expect to ride between eight and 10 miles.

The first person to get to the finish line with all of their food items and receipts wins the race, but it's really not about that, said Savage.

"It sort of is a race, but the main benefactor is going to be the charity that receives all the food," Savage said. "We just want to promote giving this time of year."

Rally Sport Health and Fitness Club If you're just trying to maintain a somewhat normal workout schedule on Turkey Thursday, Rally Sport, 2727 29th St. (303-449-4800), opens at 5 a.m. and has childcare from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

"Thanksgiving has been a huge tradition of exercise for us, so we have a ton of special classes," said Rally Sport fitness director Erin Carson. "We are going to pack out the club that morning."

Rally Sport classes include yoga, spin, swim, conditioning and cardio. Personal trainers will also be available the morning of Thanksgiving Day if you need a little extra motivation from an outside source.

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